JSpaceCanada applauds the vote in favour of the motion “Canada’s Actions to Promote Peace in the Middle East” by the House of Commons last night. The motion passed 204 to 117 after amendments proposed by the governing Liberal Party.
JSpaceCanada has supported this motion in principle since it was first proposed by NDP Foreign Affairs Critic Heather McPherson. We have worked closely with MP McPherson on several occasions. While JSpaceCanada conveyed strong reservations about the wording of several clauses in the motion, we wholeheartedly support the principle of promoting a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians and a just resolution through a two-state solution. The amendments proposed by Liberal MPs address several of our reservations, providing further clarity to the specific action items, and added a necessary explicit condemnation of Hamas and their brutal terror attack on Israel on October 7.
While language directing the government to support the establishment of the State of Palestine is a positive step, we are disappointed that it comes at the loss of the initial direct, immediate recognition of a Palestinian state. The JSpaceCanada Policy Centre called on the Government of Canada to recognize Palestinian Statehood - in accordance with its longstanding policy of working towards a two-state solution - on February 28, 2024.
With several proudly Jewish MPs voting in favour of this motion, it is clear that the Jewish community is not a monolith - and never was. We applaud these MPs who voted to represent the diversity of opinion within the Jewish community and stood strong in the face of opposition politicians and loud voices in their own community who wish to portray their own political ideologies as the unquestioned opinion of the Jewish community.
This motion is firmly in line with JSpaceCanada's mission to build a Canadian Jewish community that is a leader in promoting solutions for peace” said JSpaceCanada Interim Chair, Maytal Kowalski. “Canada must lead in the development and implementation of a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, that recognizes a sovereign and secure Palestinian state alongside a sovereign and secure Israel. This conflict will only be solved through a political, not military, solution.”